As fans eagerly await the fourth season of the much-awaited regency-era romantic drama Bridgerton, showrunner Jess Brownell spilled the beans on what audiences can expect when the romance between Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie (Yerin Ha) unfolds. She said the upcoming season is going to have chock-full of "juicy conflict" and was the "easiest book to adapt" so far.
The recently-released glimpse offers a closer look at Benedict and Sophie, hinting at a romance that leans into fairy-tale territory, precisely a reimagined Cinderella story. The upcoming chapter also introduces new faces including Katie Leung, Michelle Mao and Isabella Wei, expanding the ensemble further. The fourth season is adapted from Julia Quinn's books of the same name where the fourth one is based on An Offer From a Gentleman.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Brownell said, "It lent itself really closely to television structure for a love story." She further noted that fans will be happy to see a few set pieces from the book on the show. "There are just a lot of rich set pieces that gave us juicy conflict and high stakes. I think fans will be happy to see quite a few of the set pieces from the book in the show," she said.
Brownell explained how the new season will explore class dynamics between Benedict’s privileged position as an esteemed Bridgerton member and Sophie's life as a maid, a working woman within the ton, bringing a "totally new sensibility" to the much-popular show.
"We talked a lot about going downstairs and how that would affect the overall tone of the show and I think, actually, it seamlessly blends into the themes that we were trying to explore this season," she shared, pointing out how Benedict lives in a "fantasy world" while Sophie faces and "lives in a harsher reality". "he idea is that, for each of them, neither of those stations are where they need to live in order to find true love," she added.
Several familiar faces will return to the series, including Jonathan Bailey, Simone Ashley, Nicola Coughlan, Claudia Jessie, Luke Newton, Golda Rosheuvel, Adjoa Andoh, Julie Andrews, Ruth Gemmell and Polly Walker, among others. The returning cast also features Hannah Dodd, Daniel Francis, Emma Naomi, Hugh Sachs, Florence Hunt, Will Tilston, Martins Imhangbe, Masali Baduza, Victor Alli, Lorraine Ashbourne, Michelle Mao, Isabella Wei and Katie Leung. The show will also continue the story of Nicola Coughlan as Penelope and Luke Newton as Colin as they navigate marital life. They now have a baby named Elliot. Benedict’s sister Eloise (Claudia Jessie), also helps him search for the mysterious "Lady in Silver."
Bridgerton Season 4 will follow the show’s recent release pattern, arriving in two instalments. The first part will debut on January 29, 2026, with the second half scheduled to drop on February 26, 2026.
